Glacialis Spatium
by Childofdarknessanddespair
Summary: The war is finally over, but the alliance with earth is still new and weak. Any attack on Earth or the Plants could trigger another war. But now, an extremist Coordinator faction has shown up. A threat to the peace, Athrun, Kira, Yzak, Dearka, and Nicole
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hi, I'm new at this and this is my first story. This story is AU, takes place after the first bloody Valentine War and before the second. Nicol survived the first bloody Valentine War. I'll do regular updates if anything else deviates from the story line.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gundam Seed. Sadness.

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**Prologue:** The war is finally over, but the alliance with earth is still new and weak. Any attack on Earth or the Plants could trigger another war. But now, an extremist Coordinator faction has shown up. A threat to the peace, Athrun, Kira, Yzak, Dearka, and Nicole have gone to stop the extremist faction, and with both sides heavily armed an all-out war seems inevitable. AC, KL, YOC

**April 4, 74 C.E. **

_**17300 hours**_

The Z.A.S. _Peace_ flew through space, a smooth flight. Being the military ship it was, everything was clean excluding one or two areas that were rarely used. One of which had to be the storage bay. Dusty and musty, the bay was empty of life, or at least, life that was supposed to be there. Tucked between two boxes was Shizuka Hawatari, resident stowaway. She swiped her hand across her forehead and rummaged in the sack sitting next to her. It was sweltering in the storage bay, going on 90 degrees Celsius. She pulled out a flashlight and a book. Nobody bothered with light down in a storage bay. That's not to say that the Z.A.S. Peace didn't have light fixtures in the storage bay, it's just that nobody used them. Who would? The only person down in the storage bay was Shizuka and she was smart enough to realize that it would just be plain stupid to have storage bay lights on when she wasn't supposed to even be there.

She flicked on the flashlight, the sudden bright light momentarily blinding her. Blinking, she shone the beam on the page of one of the few books she had in her knapsack that she had packed before she ran away from home. It was a lovely, boring piece on the 'Reconstruction War'. It was not her preferred reading material, but if she wanted to make it in ZAFT, if was a necessity.

Shizuka had been trained in the ZAFT Academy since she was four years old and had trained to be the perfect soldier. She was, of course, not the perfect soldier, but that is beside the point. She was never very good when it came to studying history and she was horrible when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Shizuka was a pretty good pilot though. She had come fourth in her class in piloting and right smack in the middle of her class when it came to strategy. More importantly to Shizuka, she was one of the 3 girls that had graduated in a class of thirty students. She followed orders quite well, but also took the time to think about what her superiors had asked of her and was able to reflect and point out the weaknesses and strengths of all her commanders. So when the Z.A.S. _Peace_ had come into the Plant looking for repairs and supplies and started to recruit, Shizuka should have been a shoe-in. Once Shizuka found out Athrun Zala, her idol, was in command of the Peace, she was even more determined to join up. But she had one problem or actually two.

Shizuka Hawatari was not yet old enough to sign up to actively be a part of the ZAFT military and she was a noble. As Shizuka pulled up the book onto her lap, she began to read to hide the bitter memory of what she had said to her parents.

**Flashback**

_"Have you heard? The Z.A.S. _Peace_ has come into port and is looking to take on recruits! Father, I would like to join the Z.A.S. _Peace_ as one of the Crew. I have already filled out the forms needed to volunteer for active duty. This is my chance to apply my training and help the world. I feel I must do this," said Shizuka, and then assumed the puppy dog expression. The puppy dog expression had never failed her._

_"Absolutely not," said Shizuka's father. Shizuka's jaw dropped in shock._

_"But, Father," protested Shizuka._

_"No, Shizuka," said Shizuka's father._

_"But…" started Shizuka._

_"Shizuka, you nearly failed your History course and you did fail your Hand-to-Hand combat twice. You are only an average pilot and most importantly, you're female. Combat is no place for a girl," said Shizuka's father._

_"I thought you would support me, you always have before," said Shizuka, her eyes stinging._

_"This is what comes of coddling her," snapped Shizuka's father to Shizuka's mother. "You are a noblewoman and you will start acting as one. What's more, I will hear no more on this matter from either of you. I have made up my mind," said Shizuka's father. Shizuka burst out crying and ran for her room._

_"Dear, why are you being so hard on Shizuka? As you so aptly put it, she is an average pilot," said Shizuka's mother._

_"I won't have her in war. She is my daughter, my only one. I won't let her go off and get herself killed," replied Shizuka's father. "I need your support in this, please. Shizuka will sulk as always, but be fine in a few days. It is her way." _

_Shizuka's mother sighed. "Very well. But I cannot help feeling that this time it is different." A few hours later, Shizuka had packed her bags and run off. _

_**End Flashback**_

Shizuka was about halfway through her book when the sound of footsteps reached her ears. Shizuka snapped her flashlight off and withdrew, pulling a blanket over the boxes in front of her to create a small rectangular space that completely boxed her in. The storage light clicked on.

"Sir, what are we doing down here?" asked one of the two men down there.

"Somebody has been stealing apples," replied the other man, and Shizuka's heart leapt. It was Athrun Zala, her idol. Shizuka knew that she was in trouble. She was confident that she could hide herself from many people, but Athrun Zala was not one of them. After all, he was _Athrun Zala_!

"But, sir, doesn't that mean someone on the Crew has been stealing supplies? Shouldn't we be addressing them first?" asked the other man.

"Not necessarily. There could be any number of reasons why apples have been going missing. We should be careful about who we accuse. What happens if Yzak simply miscounted the number of apple boxes we got? What happens if we find we have rats on board consuming our supplies? There's no guarantee that any of the Crew have been taking apples. So to ensure that we have solid evidence, we are checking down here before we accuse anybody," explained Athrun. Shizuka quivered slightly as the two men spoke. It was too soon. Shizuka knew that she would be discovered sooner or later and had planned for it. But it was too soon. There were still several Plants in between here and uncharted space. If Shizuka was caught now, she'd simply be put on the next Plant out, her parents contacted, and all her dreams and plans would be for naught. The footsteps came closer and closer. Shizuka shrunk back and then as if out of nowhere the footsteps were passing by. It seemed like forever, but they eventually passed.

"Hey, wait a minute, Athrun," said the other man and Shizuka let out a sharp gasp, before clamping her hand over her mouth. "Do you want an apple?" he asked.

"No thank you. Let's get going," responded Athrun. The footsteps faded out of Shizuka's hearing. She let out a sigh of relief and then the blanket flipped up. It was her idol, looking down at her. Shizuka had been tricked, but that was not the first thing that came to mind.

'Why do I have to be all covered in sweat?' Shizuka asked herself, then thought, 'Oh, god, what is he going to do? He must think I'm an idiot!'

"Well, well, it looks like we do have a little rat here, Dearka," called out Athrun, although he gently smiled at her as he said it. "Tell me, little rat, what is your name?"

"My name is Shizuka Hawatari, sir. I studied in the ZAFT academy on the April Plant since I was four and graduated not two months ago. I usually hold the rank of pilot, sir," replied Shizuka, her formal training kicking in, hand already up at her forehead. 'Thank god for the Academy. It has managed to make me look like less of a fool,' thought Shizuka. A frown crossed Athrun's face.

"You studied at a ZAFT academy, you say, but you are not registered in the ZAFT database. Please explain," ordered Athrun.

"Sir, I am not quite old enough to enroll in active duty in ZAFT by myself. My parents denied me my request, sir," explained Shizuka.

"Ah, I see. However, you are not registered as being on active duty and I am afraid that means that you will be put off at the next Plant. But for now, Dearka, please escort our little rat to the guest quarters," ordered Athrun. "She is your responsibility, Dearka." Dearka nodded.

"This way, Miss Hawatari," said Dearka. Shizuka followed. "So, just in case you missed it, my name is Dearka," said Dearka, as they walked through the ship. Shizuka nodded and they continued walking on for the next ten minutes or so. "Tell me, Miss Hawatari, why did you enroll in the ZAFT academy?"

"Well, Dearka, ever since I was little, I like playing soldier. When I first saw the ZAFT academy and what they were doing I was truly impressed. I begged my parents to let me go. Father wasn't happy about it, but he eventually caved and let me go. It is my belief that one should fight for peace. War is horrible, but if one doesn't fight a slaughter will occur and that if a war must happen that it should be ended as soon as possible by passionate soldiers," explained Shizuka. Dearka nodded and together they walked through a door. Shizuka's eyes lit up as they came upon a flight simulator. "Dearka, can I go on the flight simulator?" asked Shizuka.

"I don't think so. The commander would be pretty mad at me if I let you on it," replied Dearka.

"Please, Dearka. Just let me on it for one round. When I die, I'll get off and let you escort me to my rooms like a good girl. Please, I have been down in the storage bay for _ages_! One go couldn't hurt. Let me get on the flight simulator just once, and you won't hear another peep out of me," persuaded Shizuka.

"Oh, very well, but only once," replied Dearka, reluctantly giving in. Shizuka smiled brightly and hopped into the flight simulator. Six levels later, Shizuka was still going strong. "Yzak," called out Dearka, "Come and see. She's doing really well."

"Who is she?" demanded Yzak.

"We found a stowaway down in the storage room. You're getting sloppy Yzak, allowing a stowaway to hop on board the ship on your watch," said Dearka taking this opportunity to tease Yzak. "Oh, look, she's made it to level seven."

"That's better than most of the stand in pilots aboard can do. I don't believe you," said Yzak, shoving Dearka out of the way to see better. "Who is this girl?" asked Yzak to himself as she moved up to level eight. Shizuka continued on and had just got to level nine when Athrun walked in.

"Dearka, I ordered you to take this girl to the guest quarters, so why is she in the flight simulator?" demanded Athrun, fairly vibrating with annoyance.

"Commander, she's made it to level nine," protested Dearka.

"That is not the point Dearka. Now, you can either carry out my orders, or you can be dismissed," said Athrun.

"Yes, Commander. He, Miss Hawatari, time to go," said Dearka. Shizuka sighed, but cancelled her simulation and hopped out of the simulator. They hurried off to the guest quarters, mostly because Dearka wanted to have no more accidents and be dismissed. He took no more shortcuts, because although he could have cut his journey time in half it also meant taking the risk of passing by many of the other "interesting" military appliances.

"And here we are Miss Hawatari. Please remember your promise and don't go wandering out of your rooms," said Dearka.

"Alright, and hey, Dearka, thank you for letting me go on the flight simulator. It was my favorite subject when I was in the ZAFT academy. Sorry for getting you in trouble," said Shizuka softly as Dearka left.

**April 6, 73 C.E.**

_**800 hours**_

The Z.A.S. _Peace_ shook as Athrun slept in his quarters. "Bridge to Commander, we are under attack," rang the message throughout the ship. Athrun bolted up out of bed. He needed to get to the bridge and took off. He skidded onto the bridge. "Yzak, report," ordered Athrun.

"It was two minutes ago we saw the ship sir. It identified itself as one of the Coordinator fleet and had a code in everything. While it was passing, however it fired on us. Kira and Nicole are suited up and will launch shortly. Dearka is already out there," said Yzak.

"Good, get out there Yzak," said Athrun.

In her room, Shizuka woke as a second blast hit the ship. She bolted up into a sitting position. "The ship is under attack. Oh god, oh god, oh god," said Shizuka, panicking slightly. She got onto her knees and started praying. 'Athrun's out there. There is no way we can lose with Athrun out there. Please, God, keep the pilots safe and keep the ship intact,' thought Shizuka.

It seemed to Shizuka that four thousand years passed. The ship stopped shaking and still Shizuka did not move. Then, the door opened. A young man stood in the doorway. Sweat beaded his face, but he seemed very much more relaxed. "Hello, my name is Kira Yamato. Athrun told me to come and check on our resident guest. He also told me that you attended ZAFT academy. You were probably crazy with worry. Let me fill you in now. We were passing through the past sector of space when we spotted another ship passing by. It sent a code registering it as one of the Coordinator fleet, but it was a trap. The ship belonged to the extremist faction that Athrun and I are going to fight. I went out to fight the extremist faction and although we rebutted them we have taken serious damage. The ship has taken minimal damage, but we have lost many pilots," explained Kira. Shizuka let out a breath of relief.

"Thank you Kira. It was very kind of you to come and see me, but you should go now. You haven't showered yet and I always feel better once I have showered," replied Shizuka. Kira laughed.

"Thank you for your concern, but I thought it would be better if I came here first. You see, in the first war I was a civilian fighting an organized military. I was terrified and that was when I knew what I was getting into. Although you have been trained in the ZAFT militia, you will never know what war is until you experience it. That's why I came. I thought that if I explained the situation you would understand it better," explained Kira.

"I already knew what role you played in the last war," said Shizuka with a smile. "I also know that you and Athrun were very close when you were little." Kira blinked.

"Are you keeping tabs on me? You're not a stalker, are you?" asked Kira jokingly.

"No, no, no. It's just that Athrun's been my idol since I was little, so I learned a lot about him and through that channel, I learned a little about you," replied Shizuka, laughing. "And by the way, if you're wondering, I wasn't stalking Athrun either when I came aboard. It just gave me a little more motivation."

"Anyways, I think I'll go take that shower now," said Kira.

"Wait. Give me the exact numbers," said Shizuka. Kira stopped.

"Seven dead. Five engineers. Two pilots. One piloted a Gundam. Forty more were hurt," said Kira and walked out. Shizuka nodded and walked out of the room and headed straight to the janitorial section.

Shizuka bowed to the men there. "Forgive me. I know you are busy right now and I would like to help you. My name is Shizuka." The men nodded, gave her supplies and instructions and Shizuka was off. She started with the kitchen then moved onto the hallways. As she worked her way through the ship, Dearka noticed her. She took a step towards her but then stopped and shook his head. The girl was breaking the rules again, but they needed all the help they could get. He let it go; even knowing Athrun would have his head. He would ask Nicole to drop by and make sure Shizuka was all right later. Shizuka kept cleaning and an hour later, another person showed up.

This man picked up a scrub brush and began to work. Shizuka had sheen of sweat. It was certainly harder than anything she had had to do at home. "Why don't you take a break now? I will take over from here," said the man. He had green hair and a soft disposition. Shizuka shook her head.

"You need all the help you can get," muttered Shizuka. They worked side by side for four more hours.

"Enough," said the man with green hair. Shizuka shook her head.

"It's not done yet. It's not over," said Shizuka.

"Perhaps, but you and I are going to get something to eat, talk, and then you are going to bed," he said firmly. "You've done enough today." Shizuka was to tired to argue and let him take her to the cafeteria. As Shizuka ate slowly, he introduced himself. "My name is Nicole and I'm the second mate on this ship. I'm also one of the Gundam pilots. Dearka was worried you'd get into trouble, so he sent me to take care of you. I didn't realize that you'd drive yourself into the ground working instead," said Nicole shaking his head.

"You need all the help you can get," said Shizuka dully.

"Come on, now you need some sleep," said Nicole. Shizuka got up, but nearly fell as her knees buckled beneath her.

"I think… I think I may need some help," muttered Shizuka.

"You think?" asked Nicole slightly amused. Nicole took Shizuka's arm and took some of her weight onto his body and together they walked back to the guest quarters. Nicole helped Shizuka get clean then tucked her into bed. Shizuka fell asleep almost instantly. Nicole smiled slightly and left.

"We do need all the help we can get," muttered Nicole to himself and went off to find Yzak.

**April 10, 73 C.E.**

_**600 hours**_

Shizuka awoke with a start. Her breath came out heavily. 'A nightmare, just a nightmare,' thought Shizuka. The door opened and a man with silver hair entered.

"Ah, you're up. Good. I have some questions for you," he said.

"Um," said Shizuka, "Do you mind if I get dressed and get some breakfast first?"

"I will meet you in the cafeteria in half an hour. You can answer my questions there," he said.

"Alright," agreed Shizuka. She dragged herself out of bed, showered, got dressed, and then quickly left. Arriving in the cafeteria she got her breakfast and sat down in front of the silver-haired man. "You, you are a pilot, correct?" asked Shizuka. The silver-haired man looked pleased.

"Yes," he said. "Now then, tell me, how were you treated in your class?" he asked

"As a peer and equal or my ranking?" asked Shizuka.

"Take the question as you will. Just answer it as full y as you possibly can," replied the silver-haired man.

"My ranking was never very high. It started off as one of the worst scores I could get. I wasn't last, but I was very close. We were studying Hand-to-Hand combat and I sucked to say the least. I failed the class twice. My Battle History grade wasn't much better, but I did pass it. My ranking only began to rise after I entered my first Flight Simulation. I was great at piloting. I was also decent in my ability to plan battles, but I mainly focused on piloting. It was what I was good at," said Shizuka.

"How did you feel when you piloted?" asked the silver-haired man.

"When I first piloted… it's hard to describe. I felt warmth in my heart. I felt as light as a leaf. I was not thinking, just reacting. I moved and moved. I was not a living thing, not something that could be regarded as human. For the first time, I was something that had to be taken into account. In order to defeat me, they had to analyze my moves and in order to analyze my moves they had to acknowledge me. I could see the bullets, but they weren't hitting me. I analyzed their position and adjusted myself to their moves. I moved on and on. It seemed like forever. I was dodging. I was shooting. I could hear nothing, was nothing. I was a weapon, a soldier ready to give my life. All I had to do was overcome the obstacles. I couldn't hear what the other people around me had to say. It didn't matter that I was hated. I was there to serve," said Shizuka.

"How did your think your teachers liked you?" asked the silver-haired man.

"My teachers… they tore down all of our barriers and rebuilt our confidence. Rely on your partner; don't rely on your superiors. We were all equal access, but they were particularly hard on us girls. I think it was because they wanted us to do so well. To the teachers we were all equal opportunity. What I hated about my teachers was this: they knew how the boys treated us and did nothing. The other boys were off limits, but us girls were always equal opportunity among the boy cadets. I think that is why so few women graduate the academy. They all quit before they graduate," replied Shizuka.

"What drove you to reach this point?" asked the silver-haired man.

"The reason why I joined the ZAFT academy was because of my idol. Athrun Zala inspired me and I wanted to be just like him. However, this inspiration did not last long due to the harsh conditions women are subjected to. The reason I decided to stay in ZAFT was because I wanted to help. I could have helped in other ways, it's true, but this is what I wanted to do for myself. I wanted to see how far I could push myself in this sport, because that's how I took it, as a sport. There were other reasons within this main reason. I wanted to show the man and teachers of my academy that I was better than them. That I could take all the crap they gave me and still come out on top. I wanted to show that I was worthy of my heritage, of being a noblewoman. And finally, I wanted to show myself that I was worthy of being alive," replied Shizuka.

"You seem to hate the ZAFT military. Why?" asked the silver-haired man.

"I don't hate the ZAFT military. I just dislike being ignored and underestimated by people who should treat me like an equal," replied Shizuka.

"If you were to be offered a place as a soldier in ZAFT, what would you say?" asked the silver-haired man.

"I would accept in a heartbeat," replied Shizuka. The silver-haired man seemed to consider this and nodded.

"Now then, do you have any questions about me?" asked the silver-haired man.

"Just one. What is your name? If you wish, you may share any other information you like with me. If you do not feel comfortable sharing it with me, then you do not have to tell me," said Shizuka.

"My name is Yzak Jule. I pilot a Gundam on this ship. I'm also the first officer on this ship. That is all," said Yzak. "You surprise me. I thought you would ask all sorts of questions, after all I did saddle you with some of the heavier questions." Yzak left. Shortly afterward, Dearka entered.

"You left your room without permission yesterday, but that's okay. I saw you busy cleaning up the mess that those shots caused. Nicole reported back to me and I know how hard you worked," said Dearka.

"Hi Dearka. Yeah, I thought you could use some help. So, tell me some stuff about yourself Dearka. You probably pulled my file and know everything about me now. It's only fair you share what you know about me, don't you think?" asked Shizuka.

"Miss Hawatari…" started Dearka.

"I will continue to work with you. Call me Shizuka, Dearka," insisted Shizuka. Dearka blinked twice.

"Alright Shizuka. Fair enough. As you know, my name is Dearka. I pilot a Gundam here on this ship. I met Athrun Zala, the current commander of Peace in the last war. I was a part of his unit, under his command. I slowly learned that he was a tortured spirit, forced to battle against his friend. I was against the war from the beginning, but had no way to stop it. It wasn't until Lacus Clyne that my opportunity came. You seem knowledgeable about the war, so I assume you know what role Miss Lacus played in it. Kira defected to Miss Lacus and I followed shortly after. Miss Lacus spoke of what I had hoped for, a way to end the pointless war. It took a little more persuasion to convince Athrun, but he eventually agreed to come over and fight for Miss Lacus. Nicole was laid up in the hospital, still extremely weak. Yzak… although Yzak wanted to fight, he was put into the back and he was nearly blown up in the last fight. He was greatly weakened, leaving the three most powerful Gundams in the hands of Miss Lacus and so at last, the war was over. My stats as per the ZAFT academy are strong Hand-to-Hand combat, excellent History of the Battles, decent battle planning skills, and horrible piloting skill," finished Dearka.

Shizuka stared. "Damn. I wouldn't have expected such strong feelings from you Dearka. I guess you a hidden well of depth." Dearka smiled, although it was clear that he was pained by what he had just said. "Now I'll tell you something about me, Dearka. The reason why I pushed so hard in the ZAFT academy was to work with people like you. My teachers and the boys in my ZAFT academy were all bastards, but I knew that ZAFT was the place for me to be. You have just confirmed my belief that ZAFT is good.

"Anyways, I should get going. Lots to do, too little time."

'This certainly has been an eventful morning,' thought Shizuka. She went to the cleaning station.

**April 24, 73 C.E.**

_**1300 hours**_

Shizuka was finally beeing accepted among them as if she had always been there. Most unfortunately this only applied to the cleaning Crew. The rest of the Crew ignored her except for Dearka, Nicole, and Kira who always went out of their way to speak to her.

Then, as Shizuka was walking to her station one day she heard an argument going on. "I said NO! She's a noble!" yelled one voice.

"We need more pilots! Be reasonable Athrun," said the other voice and as Shizuka walked around the corner she saw an angry Athrun and annoyed Yzak entering Athrun's office. Shizuka blinked and walked on. Two hours later, Shizuka was summoned to Athrun's office. A smirking Yzak stood outside the door. Shizuka knocked on the door.

"Enter," called out Athrun and Shizuka did. "Ah, Miss Shizuka, good. Here are the hours you will be working and the duties you will have," said Athrun. Shizuka blinked. "Welcome to ZAFT, Miss Shizuka.

Shizuka blinked. "Repeat that," she said

"I said, 'Welcome to ZAFT,'" replied Athrun.

"No, no, no, I must be going crazy. I thought you said, 'Welcome to ZAFT.' But that simply is not possible, is it?" asked Shizuka. Athrun rolled his eyes.

"Look," said Athrun sighing, "Do you want the post or not?"

"Uh, yes," replied Shizuka. She continued to blink and not move, however. Athrun sighed again. He picked up the paper put in Shizuka's hand, guided her to the door, pushed her out and closed the door. Shizuka just stood there… and stood there… and stood there…

"YES!" yelled Shizuka and started doing the happy dance. Four minutes later Shizuka stopped, mortified. She had gathered a small audience and the people were staring at her like she was some kind of wired exhibit.

"As amusing as this all is, I would prefer it if I could actually get to my room now," said a highly annoyed Yzak.

She hurried off to her room. 'And I actually get to CALL it my room, not the guest quarters,' thought Shizuka to herself. Shizuka unpacked her tiny rucksack and put her books on the shelves and put away her clothes in the trunk. She had not yet unpacked her things because she was sure that she would be getting off at the next Plant and she would not have been able to bear it if she had to pack. It would have meant that, however remotely, she had belonged here for a short time and that she was leaving. But not anymore, she was staying. She danced and spun as she put away her things. The door slid open.

"Hey, I heard," said Dearka.

"Isn't it great," sang Shizuka.

"Yeah, um, I have orders from the Commander to test you," said Dearka.

"Why? I thought my post was already set up?" Shizuka asked.

"Long story short, your hours are set, you will have a post, and we do have an idea about what your going to do. But, we want to test your skills first," answered Dearka. "Now come on." Both of them arrived at the flight simulator.

"We'll start with the classic flight simulator," said Dearka. Shizuka shortly finished the simulation flight.

"Well done. You pass with flying colors. Next we'll try this," said Dearka, leading her over to the mobile suit simulator. Shizuka had only gotten to use one like it a couple of times. Eagerly, she started it up. Her over eagerness lead to a miscalculation, and death at level five.

"Well, that wasn't bad for a first time," said Dearka. "Next."

"What is it? I haven't seen a simulator like this before."

"It is new. As you know, unlike the basic mobile suits, these run Gundam. Gundam or **G**eneral **U**nilateral **N**euro-Link **D**ispersive **A**utonomic **M**aneuver, have their own flight protocols and challenges. It-"

"Gundam?" cut in Shizuka "Oh, I have always wanted to try one."

With that she promptly sat down and fired it up. Shizuka entered the simulation. She died on the start of the second level. Slightly frustrated, Shizuka shut the simulator off and stepped out.

"That was quite good," said Dearka. Shizuka just looked at him. "Okay, no it was lousy, but hey, you have no experience in flying a Gundam, so given the circumstances it was quite good. Now, then, you did quite well in the Academy, but Athrun and I have agreed that you could use so more training," said Dearka.

"What makes you think you're allowed to do this?" demanded Shizuka. Dearka grinned at her lightly.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that Athrun put me in charge of you. Yes, it was originally to keep an eye on you, but you know, these things tend to evolve," answered Dearka.

"In other words you're doing this to torture me," said Shizuka.

"Not at all. I'm doing this because I am concerned about you," corrected Dearka, with a sly smile. Shizuka sighed.

"Okay, what torture have you dug up for me, playboy?" asked Shizuka.

"You will be piloting ZGMF-1000/A1 Gunner ZAKU Warrior. It is artillery, but Athrun is concerned about your low Hand-to-Hand. While it is unlikely an artillery would have to fight close-range, if it did, you would need a better understanding of Hand-to-Hand."

"But I'm not going to be fighting Hand-to-Hand," said Shizuka in a confused voice.

"Yes, but the better you are in real Hand-to-Hand, the better you will be able to implement successful strategies. And you know what that means," explained Dearka, with a smile.

"Oh, no," said Shizuka, her face paling.

"Oh no is right. You wouldn't last one minute in close combat as you are now, so I have assigned you an instructor," said Dearka.

"Please don't tell me it's Yzak," begged Shizuka. Yzak, who was passing by in the hallway stiffened slightly.

"What's wrong with me?" demanded Yzak.

"Don't worry, it's Nicol," said Dearka.

"Why you didn't ask me?" demanded Yzak to Dearka.

"Because Yzak, you already have too much on your plate. Besides, Nicol has a much better temperate and I believe that she will learn better under him," replied Dearka. Yzak scowled, but could not deny that Dearka had a point.

"What didn't you ask me, precisely?" demanded Yzak. Dearka and Shizuka just laughed and walked out the door.

"WHAT?" asked Yzak.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This is my first attempt at a story and I would love it if you would review for me. Thanks!

Childofdarknessanddespair

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	2. Chapter 2

Gundam Seed Fanfic Part 2

To my readers:

I am so sorry! I know it has been forever, but I can't tell you how busy I've been. I also blame my beta for not getting this back to me (why, why?!). Thank you for your support.

**Gundam Seed Fanfic Part 2**

**May 1, 73 C.E.**

_**2200**__** hours**_

Dinner had always been Shizuka's favorite meal. She loved the food, the conversation, and the deep inner reflection that always seemed to occur. Today, however, only the food was noteworthy. She had a million and one things to think about and was bursting to talk to someone. Unfortunately, Shizuka usually found herself sitting alone and neglected at the table. Most people who came in the mess hall just grabbed the food and left, often eating as they ran back out the door. All her friends were really busy. If she could really call them friends… Shizuka was unsure if knowing them for just under a month she could call them friends. And she didn't even really know them; they were way to busy to make time for her, a noble or not.

Athrun, her ever lovely idol, was thrown into repairs like no tomorrow. He had gotten most of the ships and mobile suits fixed now. Even when he wasn't down on the repair decks, he was on the bridge, giving commands, taking reports, making plans, and so much more. Shizuka wasn't sure, but she had a strong inclination that Athrun wasn't sleeping much. Athrun had hazy marks under his eyes and twice had run right into people (he usually had his nose in papers, but very few coordinators couldn't run, read and avoid, all at the same time, by an early age). He wasn't ever on the record in the dining hall and as she noticed that his stomach was distinctly concave she was sure that he wasn't eating much either.

Yzak was nearly as busy as Athrun. He was always on the run, giving orders, taking orders, making reports, gathering reports, analyzing data and so much more. As the first mate, Athrun relied heavily on Yzak to get his work in. Yzak had no shadows under his eyes, but he was constantly on the run, bad tempered, and usually had some kind of food in his left hand. He smelled a bit off and took one caffeine pill every four hours. He had not slept on record and Shizuka was sure that if Yzak continued on like this he was going to drive himself into the ground. Still, Athrun was ordering Yzak to get at least six hours of sleep since Shizuka had commented on that fact (but she was sure it was more like four) to Dearka, so she wasn't all too worried about that.

Nicol had yet to give her a lesson. Taking command of the bay was no easy feat. He was busy cataloguing machine part after machine part, what needed to be fixed, and if and how it could be fixed. He was also looking in on the pilots, ensuring that they were getting rest. He was checking the supplies and was writing lists of what they would need when they docked at the next Plant. Poor Nicol also got the job of informing Shizuka's parents that their daughter was on a ZAFT ship that had been attacked and was going to be a pilot in what was looking like a very probable war now. Nicol was, however, present at one meal time every day and got at least a few hours of sleep every day.

As a pilot, Kira lacked the duties the rest had, but had taken to filling in. He was never present at meal times, but if you looked in the infirmary you could see him half-frantic with worry over the patients. Categorizing the medicines, injuries, and death count was a staggering amount of work, but on top of that he volunteered for almost everything else as well! He was in the halls, looking at panels, fixing them, revamping them, and rewiring them. All the lists that Yzak couldn't get to, Kira took. He looked at all of the minor injuries of the Z.A.S. _Peace _and categorized them. It wasn't uncommon to see either a sponge or a massive stack of paperwork in his hands. His eyes had large bags under them and the longest recorded time of him sleeping was just over two hours. He never ran into anything or anyone, but when Athrun noticed what Kira looked like he ordered him to sit, sleep, or do something that was unrelated to work.

Dearka had taken on extra duties as well, but not in the way Shizuka had expected. He hadn't volunteered for any extra work or taken on any extra duties in particular, but he opted to look at the people around them, badger them to go eat or sleep. He had made his friends his project and tried to bug them whenever they were available. Most unfortunately for Dearka, they were never available so the most he ever got in was, "Get some sleep! You look like a Zombie!" He badgered the cleanup crew into bed and badgered the injured people to go and get a check-up. He carried around a bag of food and medical supplies, forcing them into anybody's hands when they tried to complain or he thought they looked under the weather. "Deal with it," he'd say and move on. Dearka was the only one getting eight hours of sleep a day, but due to the fact that he carried a large food bag around with him all day, he never dropped in at meal times. The cooks, who heartily believed in what Dearka was doing, happily supplied him with food whenever he dropped by the kitchen. He always found time to come and see Shizuka and then, quite evilly, remind her that she better get to work on her hand-to-hand.

God, Shizuka was tired. It had never occurred to her that being a solider was going to be this hard (not that she would quit, no; she wasn't going to prove her father right). She had been working on the cleanup crew and every other miscellaneous thing Yzak could find. She was starting to hate that man. When he couldn't find anything else for her to do, she would (should) practice her hand-to-hand (maybe tomorrow, was often thought). While she knew the chances of anyone breeching the ship were slim, the practice would get her back into shape (but running was a bore…). She had to be fighting fit. There could be an attack at any time. An unfit pilot wouldn't last long if they couldn't keep up (she kept telling herself this, but could only drag herself through minimal practice if any).

She had been getting at least six hours of sleep every night (more if it meant avoiding exercises) and always found time to go to the meal times. At some meal time or other, Dearka would show up and demand "the works" or all the observations Shizuka had picked up about his friends that he could go and badger them about. Yzak had taken it rather personally and avoided Shizuka like the plague (he sent orders via a young midshipman who was too scared of Yzak to question the method). Unfortunately for Yzak, Shizuka also believed in what Dearka was doing (plus it annoyed him) and it was rather hard to shake a determined person who knew every nook and cranny of the ship (after all she had spent a good deal of time hiding on it). The ship may have been extremely large, but it still wasn't as big as a Plant. And people often held tight schedules, making them easy to track. In fact, it was about that time for Dearka's daily visit and predictably, in he came with an empty food bag and an every cheerful demeanor.

"So, Shizuka, what have you noticed about my foolish friends today, hmm?" asked Dearka. Shizuka dutifully listed off the things she had seen them do and what they looked like. Dearka nodded thoughtfully and then looked sharply at Shizuka, taking in her form. His eyes darkened slightly as he looked at Shizuka. She gulped. That look did not bode well.

"Shizuka, my dear, you look like the walking dead," Dearka said. Shizuka groaned. This could not be good. It seems as if Dearka had taken her on as one of his personal projects. She hadn't done that much today had she? "You have three inch bags on your face-" Shizuka glared at him for the unflattering exaggeration, but Dearka pretend not to notice, "-and your body would no doubt be shrieking at you, except you are too dead to feel it. You're eating, but you're not eating enough and you haven't gone to get a check up in the past four days. That's strictly against the policy, you know."

"Dearka, I wasn't even on the medical roster until last week! Healthy soldiers only need to be checked once a month and I got checked back on the Plant. Besides, the infirmary has enough to do. I couldn't possibly go and get a regular check up now," protested Shizuka.

"Ah, Shizuka my dear, that is why it is important to do it now. The infirmary has to make a report about everybody on board at the next Plant, you know. We're still two weeks out, but if you go and get your check up now, it will save them all a lot of pain. Don't you want to do that, Shizuka dear?" rebutted Dearka.

"Don't call me Shizuka dear," Shizuka muttered, but couldn't fault his logic. Damn, she was tired if she couldn't fight off the playboy's attack. She resisted the urge to stomp her foot; it would be childish, but she really, _really_, didn't want to go. She opened her mouth to firmly (if irrationally) tell Dearka to bother someone else but he was already speaking again.

"Besides, I'm going up to the infirmary now. You can come with me, Shizuka dear. Unless you would rather start hand-to-hand?"

"Fuck," she cursed with passion. Dearka was going to make sure that she went up to the infirmary that was for sure.

"Come along, and don't swear, it doesn't become you, Shizuka dear."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

_**2300 hours**_

"Kira, you know better than to be up at this time of night," admonished Dearka as he walked into the infirmary, Shizuka in tow. "What are you doing? Oh, well, whatever it is can wait. Shizuka needs her routine check up."

"Now, Dearka? Aren't things a little busy for a regular check up? I'm sure that we can wait for the next Plant or so for Shizuka's check up," replied dead-on-his's-feet Kira.

"Nonsense," bungled Dearka. "She needs to have a check on record. You can give Shizuka a check up and then you can both go and get some sleep."

"Who has time for sleep?" muttered Kira.

"Well, you can see that things are far too busy for my check up," said Shizuka, making a hasty exit for the door.

"Oh no, you don't," said Dearka and caught Shizuka. "Come on Kira, you still owe me."

"For what?" asked Kira.

"Well, actually you don't owe me, but I was hoping you could do it anyways," replied Dearka. "I'll stop mobbing you." Kira raised an eyebrow.

"Technically it should be down by a registered doctor who checks her and I never finished my training. I'm just filling in. Why does Shizuka need a physical so badly that you're willing to use me?" asked Kira.

"Kira, you've got to be as good as any Plant doctor now. Besides, Shizuka needs her physical before she can start active duty officially; we're already pushing it because she has been registered in ZAFT for almost a month. And I'll have a better idea about what training she needs to have before we try and put her in battle. Besides, this way I'll be able to watch the physical – so I'll know when it ends! –," he added hastily at Shizuka's glare, "and can escort you both off to bed at the end of it all."

"He seems to have us on a short leash tonight, doesn't he Kira?" said Shizuka. Kira nodded his agreement wearily. "I'm going to get you for this, Dearka."

"Let's see if you're fit enough to even catch me first," he replied and the physical began. She was poked, prodded, injected with immune system bolsters, and asked a million questions. She had to be examined in every inch, weighed, and get her blood pressure checked. She had to go pee in a cup. Shizuka didn't even feel remotely like peeing. She had to run on a treadmill, step up and down a giant step, and had to tell him all the while what she felt like. She had to tell him her entire history, starting when she could remember what she had had or not had. She had to sit through various physiological tests to figure out her stress level and how high a stress level she could tolerate. After it all, Shizuka was not only exhausted, she was irritated. So was Kira. They both just sat for a few minutes after it was all over, before Dearka emerged from his corner (where he had been reading a book with a rather interesting cover) and herded them both off to their rooms. The instant Kira hit his bed, he collapsed.

Dearka smiled. He would arrange for Nicol to give Shizuka a lesson in a couple of days as well then show up in the middle of the lesson, watch, and force Nicol to get some rest. He shook his head. Honestly, what would they all do without him?

**May 2, 73 C.E.**

_**0030 hours**_

"_You'll have to fight for it," the boy sneered._

"_That's not fair! Give me back my journal!" protested Shizuka. The boys laughed and jeered as Shizuka looked helplessly at the tall bookshelf. She was only seven! How was she supposed to fight a thirteen year old boy who had been training in ZAFT since he was four?!_

"_You could always jump for it," pointed out another boy. And Shizuka did. She jumped and jumped, but she couldn't reach it. She had just been in one of the more heated moments. Athrun, top of his class, son of the chairman, handsome, perfect Athrun, was admitting that he loved her. Tears streamed down her face as she jumped for it and the boys laughed._

"_Oops," said one of the boys, "accidentally" kicking her as she landed on the ground. She landed on her butt and the other boys laughed cruelly. Shizuka just got up and kept jumping._

"_Give it up," said the first boy. "The only way you're going to be able to get your precious journal back is by fighting me." _

"_How am I supposed to fight you?" said Shizuka, crying. If was the only way to get her journal back, so she would do it… but she wouldn't be happy about it. The boy seemed to be considering and then a smirk adorned his features._

"_Hmm… you really don't know much about hand-to-hand. Your teachers seem to think that you're abysmal. You could use a little teaching," he said, finishing as he saw Shizuka's face go as pale as death. "Oh yes, I would hate for such a young noble not to know how to fight. Especially one from your prestigious family._

"_B-b-but…" she protested weakly._

"_You want your precious journal back, don't you? I promise if you fight me hand-to-hand I'll get it back for you. That's what you want, isn't it?"_

"_Okay," agreed Shizuka hope rising. He knocked her down almost immediately after the word left her mouth._

"_Get up," he snarled. Shizuka climb to her feet and raised her small fist. Then, he knocked her down again. This happened again and again until Shizuka couldn't work up the courage to stand up. Heartbroken at her failure, Shizuka pulled her legs up to her chest and started crying. Her tears failed to move the boy. _

"_You're pathetic," he snarled and kicked her. And that's when his lackeys joined in. Shizuka was on fire, being kicked while she was down, lying on the ground. It seemed like an eternity of small, sharp kicks and long strokes landing on her again and again. Eventually the pain stopped. Shizuka was dimly aware of someone – one of the boy's lackeys? – telling him that it was enough. The first boy yelled something at the protester and turned back to the small, unmoving girl lying on the ground. He dropped her journal on top of her. "Good job, girlie. Here's your journal back. I wonder what everyone will say when they read the contents of it tomorrow? Athrun, marry me, Athrun." They laughed as they walked away. One of the boys paused for a moment and slipped a small packet into her hand._

"_It'll help the pain," he said, before running after his friends. That's when Shizuka realized that even if her father's name secured her a place in the new cadets, it wouldn't protect her. The boy had proved that. She was stiff, sore, in pain, and she could not move. She didn't even have the heart to call out for help._

Shizuka bolted straight up in bed. It was that nightmare, the one that always plagued her. She had been told to forget him a million times, but Shizuka couldn't. The therapists all said, "You have to forgive yourself. You were not responsible for what happened and one day he will get his come-uppance. Forget about him." She never had.

Her parents had called in a search party to look for her, but in the end it was the janitor that found her. All cadets in training that didn't have a solid alibi were transferred to other Plants and their families were ordered to move there. She didn't see the point. All it did was reinforce the boy's motive; her family name could get her anything.

"_What, still waiting for daddy?" _His face and voice still haunted her. They floated through her nightmares. She couldn't forget him. She couldn't forgive him. Shizuka felt her fist clench. She would prove she could be great and not because of her name. _"Oh, look, it has your name on it. Probably increase its worth, right?" _She shook it off and grabbed a towel. A cold shower would do her good and wake her up to reality. As she stepped out, she was surprised to see Yzak leaning against the wall. Yzak started, then realized it was Shizuka and relaxed. Shizuka blinked.

"What?" snarled Yzak. "I'm entitled to have ten minutes to myself."

"What are you doing out here?" asked Shizuka.

"_Relaxing_. What does it look like I'm doing?" demanded Yzak. Shizuka threw up her hands.

"I am justly rebuked." Shizuka began to walk down the corridor, aware that she was still slightly trembling from the dream. She blushed, slightly embarrassed that Yzak had seen her this way, and then shook her head. "I'm being silly. There's no reason I should feel embarrassed about Yzak seeing me. I bet he couldn't even sense my fear," said Shizuka to herself.

Slipping into the shower room she turned the faucet. Cold. Water began to rush out of the faucet and Shizuka stepped into the shower, clothes and all. Oh well, she needed to wash this T-shirt anyways. She washed her hair, taking time to revel in the ice-cold water. She loved showers; it always felt like her problems washed away with the dirt, her world shrinking to just the pounding water.

Finishing her shower, she returned to her room, feeling much calmer now than she had earlier. She bumped into Nicole leaning outside her room, eyes shut and mouth slightly open. Shizuka felt herself smile. "Nicole," she said softly.

"Ah! – Oh, Shizuka," said Nicole, snapping awake. He blinked and seemed slightly flustered at being caught asleep. Then he caught sight of her wet clothes and became even more flustered. His gazes snapped to the door panel on the wall

Taking pity on him Shizuka pretended it hadn't happened and said, "Was there something you wanted, Nicole?" Nicole relaxed marginally but his cheeks were still red. "I am surprised to see you up at this hour."

"I was coming to see you. I know it's late, but I was up and Yzak said you were up, so I thought that since I had some free time and you were awake that you could have that first lesson in hand-to-hand combat," said Nicole, eyes still looking at the wall. Shizuka froze.

"…_hand-to-hand. You're teachers seem to think your abysmal. You could use a little teaching."_

"Shizuka?" asked Nicole. She turned back to him, her eyes a thousand miles away.

"Sure," she said and smiled. "But first, let me get a little more decent." Nicole nodded his assent.

"I'll… meet you there," he said, then dashed off madly. Shizuka couldn't help herself. She laughed.

Slipping into her room, Shizuka grabbed some clothes, changed and hurried down to the workout room.

Shizuka slipped into the gymnasium and looked around. It was the first time she had been in here and she was curious about all the apparatuses she had heard of but never had the chance to see. Peering around she spotted a machine that looked like it would revolve in a circle. Curious, Shizuka went up to take a closer look. Three separate rings of steel, each powered by a different set of muscles. Shizuka couldn't figure out for the life of her what it was supposed to do. So involved was Shizuka with her inspection that she failed to notice Nicole coming up behind her.

"Shizuka," he said, a soft reminder of what she was supposed to be here for. Blushing madly that she had been caught, she swung around. Nicole chuckled softly, annoying Shizuka sharply – how dare he laugh at her! – even though Nicole was only laughing gently. Shizuka glared, hoping that the glare would be intense enough to make Nicole melt. Her hope was in vain. "I know it is a very interesting machine, but I think we should start with your lesson as soon as possible."

"Yes," Shizuka grudgingly said, nodding in agreement.

"Show me what you can do," said Nicole. Shizuka sighed.

'Why does it always have to start out this way? "Show me what you can do," they say. I can't DO anything,' thought Shizuka to herself.

"Stop spacing out," ordered Nicole. Shizuka sighed again.

'The stretches come first,' thought Shizuka and began to do basic stretches. She stretched her legs, her arms, and then her neck. 'Then, warm up your body before you do anything else.' Shizuka took off around the gymnasium, after picking appropriate weights for her legs. She was, after all, in space. After four to five laps, Shizuka slowed to a stop. 'Stretch again.' The stretches were more intense this time going from bottom to top. First the ankles, then the lower legs, the knees, and finally the thighs. The gluttonous maximums muscle came next (Shizuka refused to call it the butt muscle). She worked her way up to her waist, stretching her muscles on both sides, and some core technique to get her core warmed up some. Her arms were next, and she worked her way up from her fingers, to her elbows and finally stretched out her shoulders. Finally she rolled her neck around and was done.

Nicole nodded his head approvingly. "Do your forms for me," he instructed. And so, Shizuka did, starting with the most basic form and working her way up to the more intense, difficult forms. As Shizuka worked, she found her mind settle into a serene state. Shizuka was no longer thinking, just acting and reacting. At least, that's how she was in the first couple of forms. As the forms became increasingly complicated, Shizuka found herself struggling to remember what part of the form she was on, what her instructor was looking for, and what she was personally working on. In fact, Shizuka's thoughts were so tangled up that she did not hear Nicole say, "Okay, that's enough Shizuka." She kept on going.

Nicole tried again. "Okay, that's enough, Shizuka," he said again, this time a little louder. Shizuka kept on going. "Okay, that is ENOUGH Shizuka," said Nicole one more time. Shizuka didn't hear him. "STOP!" said Nicole loudly.

Shizuka stopped, blinked and said, "Huh?" And then… "Oh, oh." Shizuka had the dignity to blush. Nicole just shook his head at her.

"You started out with a fairly intense warm-up and stretching. That's good, however, you spent a little more time and effort than is necessary for doing a normal work out. Your first four forms are good and you clearly have worked hard to achieve that level of work because when you went onto your other forms, you fell apart. You became so focused that your technique was actually falling off. If you had just used your muscle memory…"

Shizuka had fallen out of her jumbled thoughts and after about the first two sentences of Nicole's explanation, the pain really started to hit her. During her time at ZAFT Academy she had avoided all of the hand-to-hand lessons she could. When she left the Academy, she had continued to do hand-to-hand practice reluctantly and did the absolute minimum possible. If Shizuka hadn't been required to do it, she probably would have stopped altogether, so it had been quite some time since she had done a work out like this. Her legs were trembling and her mind went to mush and then…

"Shizuka, are you listening to me?" asked Nicole, a gentle admonishment in his voice.

"Huh?" replied Shizuka. Nicole sighed.

"I said, in essence, that you need more repetition of the basics. I have no idea what your teachers were thinking, and that you did better than I expected due to your grades. Honestly, I have to wonder how you even passed with that grade… Shizuka! Shizuka, are you paying attention?" demanded Nicole.

Shizuka blinked, come out of her latest reverie. "Oh, sorry. I'm just really tired." Nicole looked at Shizuka, raking his eyes down along her body to assess her condition. He frowned slightly.

"How long has it been since you did any real hand-to-hand work at all?" asked Nicole.

"Um, since I left the Academy," Nicole just shook his head.

"You are woefully out of condition, then. We'll start with that. But now, since you seem to be on your last legs, go get some rest."

"You too, Nicole. You too," said Shizuka as she shakily walked out the door. Nicole just shook his head as the door closed.

Walking along the corridors, Shizuka had ample time to curse Nicole, curse herself, and curse Yzak for putting her into this mess. She had ample time to realize that she should not have stood around for so long because now she was stiff and it HURT to walk. She was sure that tomorrow she was going to be sore. Shizuka also had ample time to pray that Dearka wouldn't see her like this.

If Dearka did see her like this, not only would he molest her about it for the rest of her life, he would also put her on his "list". Dearka took the care of his friends and charges very seriously and Shizuka cursed the day that Dearka had been put in charge of her. Athrun had never said that Dearka had to continue taking care of her, but Dearka certainly treated her as if Athrun had said so. She was almost back to her room, finally, when she rounded another corner and her luck seemed to run out.

Shizuka stopped immediately, painstakingly turned around and immediately tried to hurry back around the corridor, but it was too late.

"Shizuka!" Dearka called out. "Why are you up this late? Going to see a lover?" teased Dearka.

"My heart belongs to no one" – she sent a mental sorry to Athrun for the lie - "and no one is going to get me until they get my heart," said Shizuka waspishly. Clearly this was not her day.

"No need to get defensive now. Lusting after someone is perfectly normal."

"I am not LUSTING over someone!" snapped Shizuka, then immediately realized that was overkill and cursed again.

"The lady doth protest too much, I think."

"I was just having a late work out, that's all." She'd have to work hard and fast if she wanted to cover up her tracks now. "I'm a little tired and a little wound up. I'm sorry I snapped."

"So, you admit you are lusting after someone then," said Dearka, taking another stab at her.

"I am not," said Shizuka, gritting her teeth and then walked forward. Two steps later, Shizuka collapsed and she realized that she had stood too long in one place, again. She ground her teeth.

"What did you do to yourself?" asked Dearka.

"I worked out," ground out Shizuka.

"**Worked out** might be a little bit of an understatement, don't you think?"

"Shut up Dearka," muttered Shizuka. 'Stupid idiot,' Shizuka thought unfairly, 'Understatement my – wha–?' Before Shizuka knew what was happening or could protest, Dearka had swung her up and had her slung over his shoulder.

"PUT ME DOWN!" shrieked Shizuka, her fists pounding on Dearka's back (not that it did any good as her arms lacked any real muscle as pointed out just a few minutes before).

"No, I don't think so my love," replied Dearka jokingly. Shizuka shrieked (until Dearka pointed out that sleep was hard to come by right now and did she want to wake up the whole floor?), tore, scratched, squirmed and did everything she could to get Dearka to let her go. Fortunately it was late otherwise all of Shizuka's actions might have drawn attention. Still, not really caring if she woke someone up (surly than that person would help her? But her rational side kept her more or less quiet, anyways) she fought hard as she could. She failed miserably. Dearka carried a kicking, squirming Shizuka down to the women's bathroom (at which point he was lucky everyone was asleep or he might have been in trouble with a few of the female soldiers who did know hand-to-hand), dumped her into the showers, turned the water on, then said infuriatingly, "And here I'll leave you, my lady." To add to Shizuka's fury, he made a little bow like a prince from a fairy tale and then swept off before Shizuka could say anything more.

Shizuka lost track of how much time passed as she glared in fury at the closed door, but as time passed, she calmed herself and realized that she had been dumped in hot water and that her muscles were now temporarily relaxed. As Shizuka washed herself, the last of her annoyance faded and after she got out of the shower and had it drained back down into the system to be recycled she found that she felt quite a bit better. Then, Shizuka hurried into bed and before a minute passed, Shizuka wasn't feeling anything at all.

**May 9, 73 C.E.**

_**1000 hours**_

The door to Shizuka's door slid openly silently. Kira had been sent to "kick that lazy-bones Shizuka out of bed" by Athrun. Kira had pointed out that at least Shizuka was getting some sleep unlike a certain commander. Athrun replied that if Kira didn't go now he would put him on latrine duty. Kira left the room hastily. He had been bombarded by comments as he left.

"Leave her alone," protested Nicole.

"HURRY UP!" yelled Athrun.

"Throw some cold water on her," suggested Dearka.

"Hn," said Yzak.

Kira shook off his reverie and focused on the task at hand. He took a look at Shizuka's alarm clock. It was still going off, louder than ever and Kira had to cover his ears with his hands as he made his way towards the howling alarm clock. He slammed his hand down on it as he got close enough to the alarm clock. Shizuka just mumbled and turned over, then continued sleeping. Kira smiled softly. In almost no time at all she had managed to work her way into all their lives. Naïve and slightly spoiled, but somehow endearing. He shook her shoulder gently and Shizuka sat up in shock.

Shizuka shot up out of bed, her breathe coming heavily as if she had just come up out of deep water. She was being attacked! She turned quickly to defend herself and then gasped and crippled over in agony.

"Are you okay?" asked Kira, panicking a little.

"Ah… yes. What are you doing in my room?" asked Shizuka, still muddled slightly.

"Our commander sent me to get you up. He's sent several communi-kays over here, none of which have been responded to. Still, I'm not surprised. You were, after all, sleeping through your alarm. You're lucky you don't have a roommate yet." Shizuka sat straight up in shock, and then winced again.

"Ouch. If there was only a way to get better at piloting than hand-to-hand…" muttered Shizuka.

"Ah," said Kira, finally understanding. "That's why Nicole didn't want anyone to disturb you. Had a tough lesson last night, did you?" Kira's tone was sympathetic.

"Unfortunately," replied Shizuka with a nod.

"I could give you some tips to piloting your mobile suit, if you'd like," suggested Kira. "But don't think it will get you off hand-to-hand combat practice. Even pilots need to be as fit a possible." Shizuka sighed.

"I know that! It just… damn, never mind. I would appreciate that Kira, please." Kira just shook his head, amused.

"Spend some free time in the simulators, or, if you don't have free time, schedule it into your daily calendar. The sooner you get used to the controls, the better you'll be. Think of the suit as an extension of yourself then simply relax. It takes some getting used to. Your ZAKU doesn't have any special abilities so don't worry about them. Mostly for you, it's adjusting what you know to the suit. You're style will develop from there."

"Thanks."

"KIRA! SHIZUKA! GET YOURSELVES OUT HERE!" yelled Athrun from the communicator. Both pilots sighed. Back to work.

"I recommend hurrying up," suggested Kira as he left.

"Ya think?" replied Shizuka sarcastically.


End file.
